Alvvays, Toronto indie favourites, first made waves in 2014 with their self-titled debut and its breakout single “Archie, Marry Me,” a brazenly tongue-in-cheek young love song. Their newest album, Antisocialites, lacks a hit as anthemic as “Archie,” yet Alvvays’ pop sensibilities remain razor-sharp throughout. Antisocialites thrives off of apparent contradictions;[Read More…]
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
First Impressions: Safdie Brothers’ ‘Good Time’ not the best of times
Leo Stillinger: At the beginning of the Safdie brothers’ (Daddy Longlegs (2009), Heaven Knows What (2014)) new feature-length film Good Time, two brothers have just robbed a bank. One asks the other: “Are you feelin’ this?” Good Time is not a good movie, but perhaps it can be justified in[Read More…]
‘American Horror Story: Cult’ falls flat
Shock value has always been a specialty of American Horror Story (AHS) creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Continuously pushing the limits of cable television censorship, FX’s AHS has been a cult favourite for six seasons. Structured as an anthology, the series takes a different horror premise with each iteration,[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: Taylor Swift is her own hot take
As soon as Taylor Swift deleted her Instagram account, her fans (known as “Swifties”) predictably anticipated a new album, which recently was revealed to be entitled Reputation, scheduled for release Nov. 10. Using social media stunts as teasers is commonplace among pop stars and cultural icons, but Swift’s release of[Read More…]
Album Review: LCD Soundsystem – american dream
“We’re all going to die someday, so you change your mind,” James Murphy responded to a fan’s concerns regarding LCD Soundsystem’s (LCD) 2016 reunion. This type of casual wisdom has defined the frontman’s work ever since the group’s first single “Losing My Edge’s” tongue-in-cheek jabs at hipster culture: “I hear[Read More…]
‘Baby Driver’ keeps audiences on their toes
Edgar Wright has made a career out of directing stylish comedies with a uniquely vibrant soundtrack, including Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. This makes Baby Driver —a quirky action-comedy about a getaway driver who blasts music to drown out his tinnitus— the perfect[Read More…]
Chris Fleming plays Chris Fleming in his Just For Laughs Show
YouTube comic Chris Fleming catapulted to virality in 2012 with the release of Gayle, a series in which he plays the eponymous Gayle Waters-Waters, helicopter mother and suburban housewife extraordinaire. But while Fleming has been tied to Gayle for most of his career, he has recently been touring the continent[Read More…]
Peeking into the ‘New Faces of Comedy’
Having helped launch the careers of Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, and Hannibal Buress, the Just For Laughs (JFL) comedy festival’s New Faces of Comedy showcase has become a coveted career milestone for young comedians internationally. Each year, comics selected are given six minutes to showcase their best material for audiences in[Read More…]
Landing softly: A conversation with Japanese Breakfast at Bar Le Ritz
Japanese Breakfast–Brooklyn-based singer and guitarist Michelle Zauner’s solo project–released their sophomore album Soft Sounds From Another Planet (Soft Sounds) on July 14. Zauner was once the frontman of the emo indie band Little Big League, where her yelping vocals and decisive lyrics earned the Philadelphia band the designation of “underrated.”[Read More…]
In a Post-Joke Era, DeAnne Smith cheers up audiences at JFL
In mid-July, comedian DeAnne Smith skyrocketed to virality with a bit she performed for CBC Comedy in which she encouraged heterosexual men to treat their girlfriends better. Shortly after gaining recognition on Facebook newsfeeds in Canada and beyond, Smith reached Montreal’s annual Just For Laughs comedy festival—an event that she[Read More…]
